1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) service based on an IP Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) and, more particularly, to a method and system for providing end user terminals with supplementary services in the IMS-based IPTV network.
2. Description of the Related Art
The IP-based convergence of communication and broadcast services is emerging as a new business model with promising marketability. As one of the best examples of this convergence, IPTV technology provides for various business models and services as well as a combination of conventional TV, voice, and information technologies.
The IPTV technology provides both fixed terminals (such as set-top boxes, Personal Computers (PCs), and Television sets) and mobile devices (such as mobile phones, Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), and laptop computers) with flexible communication and broadcast services in any environment using wired, wireless, and broadcast networks, thereby also providing various business opportunities. An IPTV system architecture may be composed of various domains for providing end users with an IPTV service. These domains are described with reference to FIG. 1.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an IPTV service provision architecture that includes various domains within the IPTV value chain.
The IPTV value chain includes five domains: a consumer domain 1101, a network provider domain 1102, a platform provider domain 1103, an IPTV service provider domain 1104, and a content provider domain 1105.
The consumer domain 1101 is the domain in which the IPTV services are consumed. The consumer domain 1101 may consist of a single device or a network of devices (e.g., a home network). The devices may include mobile devices such as cellular phones and PDAs, as well as set-top boxes.
The network provider domain 1102 is the domain that connects the consumer to platform and service providers and is responsible for delivery of various types of services and content. The delivery system of the network provider domain 1102 is typically composed of access networks and core or backbone networks, using a variety of network technologies, such as wired and wireless access technologies and broadcast technologies.
The platform provider domain 1103 is the domain that provides common services (such as user authentication and charging) to IP service providers.
The IPTV service provider domain 1104 is the domain that provides IPTV services to the consumer domain 1101. The IPTV provider acquires/licenses content from the content providers and packages the content into a service.
The content provider domain 1105 is the domain that owns or is licensed to sell content or content assets.
In this five domain architecture, a variety of IPTV services, including scheduled content services and content on-demand services, can be supplied to the consumer equipment. Both examples of such services follow the content value chain having the following four roles: a content production unit 1109, a content aggregation unit 1108, a content delivery unit 1107, and a content reconstitution unit 1106.
The content production unit 1109 is placed in the content provider domain 1105 and is responsible for producing and editing the actual content.
The content aggregation unit 1108 is placed in the IPTV service provider domain 1104 and is responsible for bundling content into catalog offers and bouquets.
The content delivery unit 1107 is placed across the platform provider domain 1103 and the network provider domain 1102 and is responsible transporting the aggregated content to the consumer domain 1101.
The content reconstitution unit 1106 is placed in the consumer domain 1101 and is responsible for converting the content into a format suitable for rendering on an end-user device.
IP services can be categorized as a managed model or an unmanaged model (open Internet) depending on the Quality of Service (QoS). In the managed model, a service provider manages the platform provider domain 1103, the network provider domain 1102, and the IPTV service provider domain 1104. In the unmanaged model, the service provider is separated from the network provider. The service provider belongs to the IPTV service provider domain 1104, and the network provider domain 1102 and the platform provider domain 1103 are managed by different stakeholders.
Open IP TV Forum (OIPTVF) defines IPTV service and architecture and detailed technologies for providing the IPTV service, and deals with the managed network model based on the IMS. According to the OIPTVF, the IPTV service is provided through an IMS Gateway (IG) acting as an indoor IMS client.
As user requirements are diversified, needs exist for file sharing and communication between end user terminals using the IPTV service. Typically, current OIPTVF architecture supports a single IG as the IMS client. However, the conventional IMS-based IPTV system has a drawback in that, when multiple terminals are served by the IG, the IMS network does not identify the individual terminals attached to the IG. The terminals cannot communicate with each other based on the IPTV system.